A Constitutional Rating of Trump’s Advisors

BY ALEX PAUL

We’ve already come a long way since Trump officially won the election 43 days ago (as of writing this article). Multiple companies, both American and abroad, have pledged their support to the President-Elect; Trump has managed to save thousands of American jobs, such as with the Indiana-based company Carrier; and he has received promises of rebuilding relationships with Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Vladimir Putin of Russia.  Trump isn’t even going to be the president for another 29 days, and the outlook of businesses on the future is already turning optimistic.

However, this doesn’t mean Trump is the next Reagan in terms of the Constitutional soundness of his policies. In fact, the President-Elect is the most liberal Republican to win the national election since Richard Nixon in 1968. While we can’t observe any discrepancies in Trump’s plans until January 20th and beyond, a very good preemptive indicator is his selection of advisors, both nominated and appointed (again, as of writing this article; there will still be more in the future). Thus, this article will utilize a sort of “Constitutional rating” system for the 14 confirmed appointees and nominees. These 14 men and women can be found on Trump’s transition website.

Note: This list will be on a 1-to-10 grading scale based on a given advisor’s ideals and how they would impact the Constitution.

So, without further ado, let us begin.

Atty. General Scott Pruitt (R-OK) – Nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Score: 10/10 (A+)

The first on the docket is Scott Pruitt, who is most known for his fervent anti-climate change beliefs. However, that isn’t the only thing that makes him a pleasant face in the Conservative movement; Pruitt also supports limited government, personal responsibility, free enterprise, judicial restraint, and aggressive crime fighting, among others. His only downfall is merely his lack of popularity within American politics; more memorable Conservative politicians–including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)–would definitely resonate better with the public.

Mr. Pruitt’s website can be found here.

Dr. Ben Carson – Nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Score: 9/10 (A-)

Dr. Carson, who is currently the only nominee who participated in the Republican primaries against Trump, is another wonderful face on the Conservative scene. While the Doctor would undoubtedly be more fit as the Surgeon General, his Conservative ideals concerning federal spending, government reform, and tax reform will only benefit him as he takes his seat as Secretary of HUD.

Dr. Carson’s website on his stances can be found here.

Elaine L. Chao – Nominee for Secretary of Transportation

Score: 7/10 (C-)

Mrs. Chao is most known as being the Secretary of the Department of Labor during Bush 43’s tenure as President. She joined the Heritage Foundation in 1996, and while most of her policies are generally right-leaning, her major setback is the fact she’s married to House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is infamous for voicing his support for unconstitutional bills and laws. Because of this, she is a wildcard that must be watched at all times.

Mrs. Chao’s website can be found here.

Rex Tillerson – Nominee for Secretary of State

Score: 6.5/10 (D)

The second wildcard on this list, Mr. Tillerson is also perhaps the worst nominee, supporting liberal policies such as Common Core and a carbon tax; the latter effectively makes him a Climate Change believer. However, his nomination would deal almost exclusively with foreign affairs, so perhaps America won’t be extensively plagued by his Blue side.

Mr. Tillerson doesn’t have an official website.

Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis – Nominee for Secretary of Defense

Score: 9/10 (A-)

Despite a lack of knowledge on Gen. Mattis’ views on subjects other than foreign policy, his foreign policy views more than make up for the absence. The icing on the cake is how his nomination for SecDef plays so well into these foreign policy views, which include strengthening ties with Middle Eastern allies such as Jordan, the UAE, and of course Israel. What keeps Gen. Mattis from obtaining a higher score is his praising of John Kerry’s work in the Middle Eastern peace process.

General Mattis doesn’t have an official website.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) – Nominee for Attorney General

Score: 7.5/10 (C)

Similarly to Tillerson, Sessions has more than one left-leaning view that should concern the American people. While the Senator did vote against both Loretta Lynch’s nomination and the raising of the debt ceiling by 1.5 trillion dollars, he voted for an expansion of federal involvement in education and a 1.3k-page highway bailout bill which cost 305 million dollars. All in all, Senator Sessions should also be watched by the public.

Senator Sessions’s website can be found here.

Steven Mnuchin – Nominee for Secretary of the Treasury

Score: 8.5/10 (B)

Little can be easily accessible about Mnuchin’s general views; currently, only his views on tax reform and banking can be accessed (which is unsurprising, considering he was a Goldman-Sachs partner). While his views on tax reformation and banking are solid, there just isn’t enough known about him to give him a higher score.

Mr. Mnuchin doesn’t have an official website.

Betsy DeVos – Nominee for Secretary of Education

Score: 8.5/10 (B)

A champion of educational policy, Mrs. DeVos is most known for being a vocal advocate for school choice and reform.  While she also blames Michigan’s (her home state) economic struggles on high wages and over-regulation, she has suggested through her investments into Energetx Composites–a wind energy company–and Cascade Engineering–a clean-water company–that she could have left-leaning environmental views.

Mrs. DeVos’s website can be found here.

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) – Nominee for Secretary of the Interior

Score: 10/10 (A+)

Mr. Zinke is another all-around reliable Conservative boasting good policies who, similarly to Scott Pruitt, isn’t that well-known. However, like Gen. Mattis, Rep. Zinke’s expertise in the position he’s been nominated to will serve the country well.

Mr. Zinke’s website can be found here.

Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) – Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

Score: 7.5/10 (C)

Governor Haley definitely has her pluses, such as lowering taxes, requiring photo ID to polls, and making government accountable, but those are tainted by her support for the removal of the Confederate flag from Charleston, as well as the opposition to legislation requiring transgenders to use restrooms based on biological sex.

Mrs. Haley’s website can be found here.

Seema Verma – Nominee for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Score: 7/10 (C-)

Like Steven Mnuchin, very little is known about Mrs. Verma outside of healthcare. What is known, however, is that she assisted Michigan in implementing their 1115 Medicaid waiver, which effectively expanded Medicaid in that state even more than it has already grown.

Mrs. Verma has no official website.

Rep. John “Mick” Mulvaney (R-SC) – Nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Score: 10/10 (A+)

Mr. Mulvaney is another reliable and conscientious nominee with Conservative policies across the board. Yet again, this nominee’s biggest strength–the budget–will cater well to his future position as Nominee for Director of the OMB.

Mr. Mulvaney’s website can be found here.

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) – Nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services

Score: 8/10 (B-)

Despite being a mostly-sound Conservative, there are a couple areas where Mr. Price might falter, including the position he was nominated to. In 2005, Price voted in favor of expanding the Obamacare grant program for veterinarians in 2011, and voted in favor of the Miller-Sanders Veterans Bill in 2014, which created an entitlement package that was set to cost 500 billion dollars from 2014 to 2024.

Mr. Price’s website can be found here.

Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) – Nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Score: 9.5/10 (A)

Lastly, Mr. Pompeo. He is perhaps the most vocal Conservative on this list, vehemently opposing the Obama administration and Liberal lawmakers alike. He supports everything the common Conservative supports, with his only downfall being his support for the NSA’s intrusive surveillance programs which violates the citizens’ privacy. Unfortunately, his biggest weakness will be catering towards the position he’s been nominated for.

Mr. Pompeo’s website can be found here.

AVERAGE ADVISOR GRADE: 8.43/10 (B)

All and all, there are some very good picks, such as Scott Pruitt (R-OK), Ryan Zinke (R-MT), and John “Mick” Mulvaney (R-SC), as well as some (very) poor choices, such as Rex Tillerson, Elaine L. Chao, and Seema Verma. Based on these 14 picks by Trump, it’s safe to assume that the President-Elect is trying to usher in a whole myriad of different Republicans, each with their own quirks and, constitutionally speaking, downfalls.

There’s only one problem; while this roster would be acceptable if America was in a safe place–say, if it came directly after the Reagan administration–we’re just about to finish the tenure of the worst president America has ever experienced so far. The President-Elect can’t fool around and pick advisors that have a history of making some anti-Constitutional decisions in whatever profession they might have participated in before their nominations. The country needs the best of the best; the strongest Conservatives in each nominee category. It’s the only way we can ever dream of saving the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.